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SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Sophomore Mike Manley scored 23 of his career-high 29 points in the second half as the Union College men's basketball team moved to 4-0 for the first time since 1999-00 with a 97-84 victory over St. Lawrence University on Saturday afternoon at the Viniar Athletic Center.
 
After a quiet first half, Manley exploded in the second stanza, hitting six of his eight attempts from beyond the arc (including his final five shots) and all five free throws to surpass his career high just in the second half alone. The sophomore also dished out a game-high seven assists, three rebounds and a steal as well in an excellent all-around effort for Union (4-0, 2-0 Liberty League), which has started the season with four straight wins for the first time since the 1999-00 team won its first six games of the year.
 
Jefferson, conversely, did much of his damage in the first half, leading the team with 12 points to keep the Dutchmen in the game after a slow start and adding 11 in the second half. Junior Nate Freeman also netted a career high 15 points off the bench while junior Rhona Eseyade chipped in seven points, nine boards and four blocks.
 
Down by 10 with 4:29 remaining in the opening half, Union began its comeback before halftime, outscoring SLU by an 18-5 margin to grab a 42-39 lead at the break. The Dutchmen connected on 6-of-9 shots (including 5-of-7 from long range) to pull off the comeback, which was capped by a Jefferson three to tie the score and a Manley go-ahead three in the final minute.
 
After weathering an initial 9-2 run by Union, St. Lawrence eventually clawed back to tie the score at 54 with 14:15 on the clock. Manley put the Dutchmen back up with another trifecta and the Dutchmen never lost the lead again, even though the Saints closed to a point on two occasions. Up by a point at 64-63 with 10:43 left, Freeman and Manley connected on back-to-back three-pointers that ballooned the lead to seven and the advantage never got lower than four the rest of the way.
 
Union shot nearly as well from beyond the arc as inside it, shooting 16-of-38 (42.1 percent) from long range and 32-of-72 (44.4 percent) overall.
 
The Dutchmen look to keep the momentum going on Tuesday, when the team takes to the road to battle Hobart College in another Liberty League clash in Geneva beginning at 6 p.m.